Biography
Roger was a career diplomat for 22 years. He resigned in fury as a Deputy High Commissioner, wrote a book and broadcast for a year, then became Director of the Somerset Wildlife Trust and, over time, a regional/national representative of the environmental NGOs in a large number of committees and quangos, including Environment Agency Flood Defence (still) and Policy Committees, National Park, Regional Assembly, MAFF Panel, Water Framework Directive etc. He has just become Chairman of the only organisation addressing what he regards as the central environmental problem, the Optimum Population Trust.
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ABSTRACT
Can you name an environmental problem that would NOT be easier to solve with fewer people, or harder (and ultimately impossible)with more?
Roger goes further than most environmentalists who simply urge architects to build in the full range of energy and water-efficiency features. He sketches the reasons why he believes the continuation of “business as usual” is unlikely in the medium term, given the “perfect storm” of overpopulation, peak oil and climate change. He will invite RIBA members to consider designing durable, adaptable, multi-functional, self-sufficient buildings for a much bleaker world.
